Clavo-mandolin



(No Model.)

G. A.l NOACK.

GLAVO-MANDOLIN.

No. 530,712. Patented Deo. 11,1894.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES A. NOACK, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

CLAVO-MANDOLIN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 530,712, dated December11, 1894.

Application filed June 25,1894. Serial No. 515,612. (No model.)

To all wiz/0m 25 may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES A. NoAcK, of the city of St. Louis, State ofMissouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements iuClavo-Mandolins, of which the fol` lowing is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart hereof.

My invention relates to musical instruments, and consists in the novelconstruction, combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafterspecified and claimed.

The object of my invention is to produce a musical instrument which maybe termed a clavo-mandolin, and consists in a series of strings orwires, a series of keys and other details of construction that will behereinafter more fully specified.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a vertical cross-sectional viewtaken approximately at the central point of one of my instruments. Fig.2is alongitudinal sectional view of 011e of my instruments takenapproximately on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 isa top plan view ofone of the keys such as is used in carrying out my invention. Fig. 4 isa detail view of a portion of the frame work of my device with a clockwork, or springactuated mechanism,attached to operate my instrument.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The frame work of my instrument is made preferably rectangular in form,having a forwardly extending base. This frame work is composed of thefront and rear sides 1 and 2, base 3 and hinged top bt. Runninglongitudinally of the instrument, and adjacent the rear frame 2, are therectangular pieces 5 and 6, to which the sounding board 7 is secured.This sounding board is slightly inclined. Secured to the longitudinalpiece 5 and to a forward portion of the frame work is a base 7a, uponwhich the keys and their adjacent parts are located.

Secured to a pin S in the longitudinally extending piece 5, and to thepiece 6 at the top portion of the instrument by means of a pin 9, is aseries of wires, or strings 10, such as are ordinarily used in maudoliusaud other stringed instruments. These strings are preferably paired andtuned as iu an ordinary mandolin.

Located upon the rectangular piece 1l. running longitudinally of thecentral portion of the instrument and upon the base 7, is a series ofkeys constructed and operated like the keys of an ordinary piano. Thesekeys 12 are pivoted upon this piece 11 by means of pins 13 extendingthrough vertical apertures 14 in said keys.

Pins 15 located upon a longitudinally extending strip 16 near theforward portion of the instrument extend into suitable apertures in thelower side of the keys 12, and serve as a guide for their verticalmovement.

Felt, or analogous, washers having sound deadening qualities are placedaround the pins 13 and 15 between the keys and the longitudinallyextending strips 1l and 16. The forward end of each key is bifurcated,and secured upon the upper sides of the keys are a series of slottedmetallic plates 17.

Mounted for rotation Within a slot 18 in the metallic plate 17, andwithin the bifurcated end of the keys, and in bearings 19, are waveddisks 20, said disks being preferably formed of metal. Pivoted near itscenter, and to the rearwardly extending portion of the plate 17, is avibrating arm 2l, the rear end of which is bifurcated. The forward endof this arm carries a tongue 22 of parchment, tortoise shell, oranalogous material. This tongue 22 is adapted to lie in a longitudinalplane and contact with the vertically positioned wires 10. The rear, orbifurcated, end of the vibrating arm 2l is adapted to be engaged by thewaved disk 20.

Rigidly secured to a shaft 23, running longitudinally of the instrumentand immediately above the waved disks, is a roller 24 having acorrugated surface. This roller is adapted to be driven by gear-wheels25, which in turn are driven by a belt-wheel 26 and belt 27, said beltbeing driven by a motor, or foot power, (not shown.)

The preferred form of rotating the shaft 23 and roller 24 is by means ofthe spring-actuated mechanism, or clock work, 28, as shown in Fig. 4.

Extending longitudinally within the frame work of the instrument is abracket 29, provided with downwardly pending portions 30 and 31, whichform bearings for the longitudinally reciprocating rod 32, said rodcarrying on its forward end a disk 33 provided with a felt, oranalogous, surface 34. A bar 35 extends longitudinally of the instrumentthrough which the rods 32 pass. interposed between this bar 35 and thedownwardly pending portion 30 of the bracket 29 are coilsprings, 36, thetendency of which is to hold the rods 32 forward, and the felt disks 34against the strings 10. On the rear ends of the rods 32 are felt, oranalogous, disks 37. Extending vertically from the keys 12 directly infront of the pivot pins 13 are rods 38, the upper ends of which contactwith the felt disks 37.

The mechanism just described forms the damper of my instrument.

' The operation of my instrument is as follows: The parts being in theposition as shown in Fig. 1, and the rubber roller 24 rotated by meansof the driving mechanism when any one, or more, of the keys are presseddown, the waved disks 2O are caused to contact with the rapidly rotatingroller 24. By reason of the bifurcated end of the arm 21 being engagedby the edge of the waved disk 20, said arm 21 carrying the tongue 22will be caused to rapidly vibrate, said tongue 22 striking, or engaging,against the wires 10 alternating to the right and left and thus obtainthe desired result. At the same time a key is pressed down, thevertically positioned rod 38 will withdraw the horizontal rod 32carrying the felt disk 34 out of contact with the wires 10, therebyallowing their free vibration until said key is released, and the damperreturned to its normal position.

The position of the various parts when a key is pressed down is shown bydotted lines in Fig. 1.

The range of movement, or vibration, of the arm 21 is shown by dottedlines in Fig. 2.

The sounds, or tones, produced by this instrument are very similar tothe tones produced by an ordinary mandolin when played upon, viz: thereis a plurality or rapid succession of likel sounds for each tone.Consequently when a number of keys are pressed in, said keys forming achord, or series of harmonizing notes, the effect will be as though anumber of mandolins were being played upon. Thus it will be seen how Ihave produced a simple and inexpensive musical instrument, and one thatwhen played upon will 6o produce in unison, or singly, tones similar tothat of an ordinary mandolin.

What I claim is- 1. A musical instrument, comprising a casing, asounding board located in the rear ot' 65 said casing, a series ofpaired strings located adjacent said sounding board, keys carrying diskslongitudinally positioned within said casing, vibrating arms pivoted tosaid keys and contacting with the strings, and operating mechanism forsaid disks.

2. In a musical instrument, a series of paired vertically arrangedstrings, or wires,

a corresponding number of keys horizontally positioned within the instrument, waved, or corrugated, disks rotatably mounted upon the rear endsof said keys, arms pivoted upon the rear ends of the keys and vibratedby the waved disks, and a rubber faced roller adapted to drive the waveddisks.

3. In a device of the class described, a key comprising a body portion,the rear end of which is slotted, a slotted plate mounted upon the rearend of said key, a waved, or corrugated disk mounted within said slottedkey and plate, and a vibrating arm pivoted to said slotted platecarrying a liexible tongue.

4. In a clavo-mandolin, the combination of a rectangular frame work, aseries of paired wires, or strings mounted upon tuning-pins 9o or pegswithin said frame work, keys horizontally positioned within said framework, a waved, or corrugated disk mounted for rotation in the ends ofsaid keys, arms carrying flexible tongues pivoted to said keys and vi- 95 brated by the wave disks, a rubber roller located immediately abovesaid waved disks, means for rotating said rubber faced roller, and adamper comprising a horizontally moving rod having a felt disk on itsforward end roo adapted to engage with the vertically positionedstrings, and a disk upon .its rear end adapted to be engaged by avertical wire from the key.

5. In a device of the class described, the [o5 combination of arectangular frame work, vertically positioned sounding board andstrings, keys carrying on their ends waved disks, vibrating armsoperated by said waved disks, and a corrugated rubber roller hori- 1rozontally positioned immediately above said waved disks and adapted todrive said disks.

In testimony whereof Iafx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES A. NOACK.

Witnesses:

E. E. LONGAN, MAUD GRIFFIN.

